Those Who Are Found
by WalkingDeadCrazy
Summary: The sequel to Those Who Are Lost. Even after 5 years into the apocalypse, it's hard to say you ever get used to it. While you can predict how a walker will act, people? Well, they're a whole different story. [NickXOC] [LukeXOC]
1. How to Survive

"Sweet!" they heard Luke exclaim from down the hall.

"What?" Nick asked.

They could hear his heavy boots clonking against the old wooden floor as Luke appeared again in the living room. He grinned as he held up a glass bottle that was obviously some kind of alcohol. "Look what I found in a box underneath the bed?" he asked as he tossed the bottle to Nick.

"Whisky," Nick read out loud as he scanned the label.

"Whoever lived in this house before hid a lot of it," Luke said, motioning with his thumb down the hallway he just came from.

"Never had it," Gemma said with little emotion. She was sitting on the floor in front of Adelaide, who was French braiding her hair.

"Really?" Adelaide asked, leaning over Gemma's shoulder and giving her a look.

Gemma almost blushed. "You have?" she retorted.

Adelaide stopped braiding for a second before quietly admitting that she hadn't either.

"You guys are lame," Luke joked. He took the bottle from Nick's hands and offered it to Gemma. "Here, try some."

Nick instantly pushed Luke's hand away before Gemma even had time to react. "What, no, she can't _have some_. She's pregnant!" he interjected.

Luke sighed as he sat down on the couch and began to open the whisky. "Yeah, I didn't say down the thing! She can have a sip, it won't kill her or the baby," he protested.

Gemma looked back at Nick, who had a scowl on his face. "Only a little sip. Barely enough to even swallow, I just wanna taste it," she assured him. Luke snorted and Gemma shot him a look which shut him up.

Nick crossed his arms and leaned his back on the wall. "Whatever," he muttered underneath his breath.

Luke grinned, since he got his way, and handed the bottle to Gemma. It barely even passed her lips before she started coughing up a storm. She shook her head and handed it back to Adelaide, who took a pretty big sip, immediately regretting it. She was coughing and laughing, trying not to make eye contact with her sister, which was only making her laugh harder.

Luke quickly took the bottle back, chuckling. "That's enough for you two," he decided, taking a swig himself.

"Hey, give it back. I want some more!" Adelaide demanded as she stood up, trying to grab the bottle from Luke. He laughed as he held it up high from her reach. She stopped jumping for it and put her hands on her hips, "Okay, you wanna play mean?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. Luke's grin quickly faded as he saw the mischievous look in her eyes. He began stepping back, only to bump into the couch. As she saw her chance, Adelaide quickly jumped behind him onto the couch, taking the bottle from his grasp before he could process what was happening. She grinned as she took a swig and handed the bottle back.

"Okay, ready for first watch?" Luke asked with a smirk. Before she had a chance to answer, he wrapped an arm around her waist and threw her over his shoulder as he walked out the front door onto the porch.

Gemma laughed to herself; watching their relationship bloom was adorable. She looked at Nick who began adding more wood to the fireplace. "How come you don't pick me up like that anymore?" she teased.

He gave her a side glance with his cute smile. "'Cause you're too big now," he joked, sitting next to her. He touched her protruding stomach gently and smiled when he felt a little bump. "

He's kicking," Gemma smiled.

"Yeah, and why are you so sure it's gonna be a boy?" Nick asked. The couple had been arguing over what gender they thought the baby was going to be since the day they found out Gemma was pregnant.

"Because everyone knows that if the belly is more of a balloon shape, it's a boy, and if more of a watermelon shape, it's a girl," she explained.

"How the hell can you tell the difference between a balloon shape and a watermelon?" Nick asked, laughing. "That's bullshit!"

Gemma playfully shoved him, laughing herself. "It's true! I remember hearing one of my mom's friends describing it that way when I was a kid!"

"I'm pretty sure you heard wrong."

"Whatever, I'm going to bed," Gemma said, waving his comment off.

"No, come back!" Nick begged as she stood up. Gemma gave him a smirk before walking down the hallway. He quickly stood up and caught up to her, gently pushing her hips back against him as he whispered in her ear, "Don't you run away from me." Gemma bit her lip as she smiled. She turned around to kiss him when suddenly they heard gunshots in the distance. "Fuck," Nick mumbled as he instinctively reached for his gun.

Luke and Adelaide quickly opened the door with worried expressions on the faces. "Did you guys hear that?" Luke asked. Gemma nodded while Nick looked out the front door before quickly shutting it and locking it.

"Could be bandits," Nick suggested as he walked over to the fireplace, putting it out. Adelaide closed the curtains and Gemma went to the pack door to lock it. They were currently in a house in a good sized suburban neighborhood, so the odds that the bandits would want to explore their house were slim, but they weren't going to take any chances.

"D'you guys have all your weapons?" Luke asked as they all headed into a bedroom at the end of the hallway. They all nodded before he closed the door and pushed a dresser in front of it.

They've been in situations like this before. The best solution was to just sit and wait for the bandits to pass, since they usually travelled in big groups with lots of weapons that they've stolen from other survivors. Even though she knew it was unlikely that they would show up to their house, Gemma couldn't help but worry as she sat in the dark room. She listened closely as her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Nick could sense her uneasiness and wrapped a protective arm around the girl. They heard a car driving down the street, stopping a few houses down from them. Instead of breaking up in small groups to look though different homes, they could hear all of the bandits' heavy feet walking towards their house.

"Shit," Nick whispered. "The smoke from the chimney."

Gemma held her breath as she heard the front door knob being jangled around angrily.

"It's fucking locked," they heard a muffled voice say.

"There's someone in there all right. Go around the house and see if there are any unlocked doors or windows," came another. T

here were only two windows in the bedroom they were in, both locked, but that wouldn't stop the bandits from breaking them to get in. Suddenly there was a shattering sound from the kitchen as the robbers smashed the sliding glass door that Gemma had locked earlier. She could hear at least eight pairs of feet walk in the house, exploring the rooms the group had been in just a few minutes earlier.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," one man joked as he entered the bedroom adjacent to their own.

They heard the knob of the door of their bedroom turn slowly, almost as if this bandit was teasing them, knowing they were in here. He grunted in displeasure when he found he couldn't open the door. Luke quietly stood up and peered out the window. He motioned for Nick to do the same and they both silently unlocked the windows.

"Help me knock down this door," they heard the man say.

The guys opened each window slowly, and motioned for Gemma and Adelaide to be silent as the two stood up. Luke was the first to jump out of the window, softly landing his feet in the untrimmed grass.

There came a heavy thud at the door as someone threw their body unsuccessfully at it; the heavy dresser still blocking the door.

Next was Adelaide, who Luke helped to the ground. Gemma glanced at Nick, his blue eyes shining in the moonlight, before making her way out the window herself. Nick jumped out of his own window, making it down the same time as Gemma.

There came another thud from inside the room as the men slammed themselves into the door unsuccessfully.

Luke peered over the bushy hedges to the street to find two bandits hanging out by the car. After searching around for a possible escape route, he led the small group through a gap between two hedges to the neighbor's back yard where a few walkers stumbled towards the noise the bandits were making.

They made their way to the end of the yard and behind a shed to catch a breather, when something grabbed Adelaide's wrist, causing her to yelp.

"Where do you think you're goin', missy?" a man whose breath reeked of alcohol asked. He began reaching into her pocket, searching for a weapon.

"Nowhere with you," Luke growled from behind her as he punched the man in the face, sending him to the ground. "Fetch," he said as a lurker close by walked over and began to feast on his meal. "Let's go!" Luke said hurriedly as he took hold of Adelaide's hand and ran with her through the bushes behind the shed to the backyard of yet another house where Gemma and Nick currently were.

"Where the fuck do we go?! They're right behind us!" Nick exclaimed.

"I don't know man, maybe another house?" Luke suggested, running his hands through his hair.

"Looks like you didn't really think this one through, did ya?" Nick argued.

"Nick! Calm down—"

"No, man. Sorry I didn't have time to plan exactly what the fuck we were going to do after I saved our asses!" Luke yelled.

"Stop it! Both of you! You're only going to attract them to us!" Adelaide said, stepping in between the two men. "Now let's figure something out before we get eaten alive!" she said, motioning towards the biters caught in the bushes, trying to claw at them.

"There's tons of cars on these streets, one of them is bound to have enough gas in it to get us the hell out of here," Gemma said as she began walking towards the front yard of the house.

"You heard her," Adelaide grumbled as she ran ahead to begin searching for a car.

"Got one," Luke yelled quietly to the rest of the group. They all piled into the gray truck as he turned on the engine and quickly drove away.

"Does anyone know how to get out of this neighborhood?" Luke asked, "All these roads look the same."

"I think it's down that way," Gemma said as she pointed to the right.

"Ah, shit!" he yelled as a walker stumble out right in front of the car, making it swerve. Gemma almost fell into Nick.

"LUKE!" he shouted.

"No, Nick, it was my fault!" Gemma yelled as she tried to buckle her seatbelt again.

"Shut up man, I'm trying to concentrate!" Luke barked.

"It's not his fault, its fucking dark out here and these headlights don't work for shit!" Adelaide argued, snapping around to face Nick.

"Yeah, well maybe I should drive," Nick growled.

"Oh, don't start this!" Adelaide said as she rolled her eyes.

The car began speeding up.

"Guys," Gemma tried to interject as she saw the houses quickly dash by.

"Start what? I didn't start anything, Luke was the one to make the first bad decision," Nick complained.

All hell broke loose as the three began arguing at the same time, neither one of them listening to what the other had to say. Even though they had gotten out of the neighborhood, Luke was driving way too fast for Gemma's comfort.

"HEY! EVERYONE SHUTUP—" she was cut off by Luke's sudden stop, causing the car to spin uncontrollably. She felt her head smack the window and then everything went black.


	2. Found

Everything was a blur. As Gemma drifted in and out of consciousness, all she could make out were unfamiliar voices and the stars in the sky. A loud and steady ringing filled her ears as a throbbing headache banged at her temple. There was a stinging pain across her chest that got irritated when she breathed in and her shirt to brush up against it.

When she woke fully conscious again, she was staring at a white ceiling. She felt numb to the scene playing around her as she gazed at the cracks and brown stains from old water damage. She was only snapped out of it when she jumped at the touch of cold fingers on her right forearm.

The gentle gesture came from an unrecognizable woman who looked to be in her later thirties. She had straight brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and long bangs that almost covered her eyebrows. She wore a white doctor's coat and her gentle, brown eyes almost reminded Gemma of Luke's. Gemma saw the woman's lips move, but didn't comprehend she was talking to her until a few moments later.

"I know you're confused right now, but I assure you you're safe," the woman began.

Gemma looked around the room she was in as she tuned out the rest of what the woman was saying. The walls were a plain beige color and the floors clean, white tile. The plastic, green couch and pair of chairs in the corner almost reminded her of a hospital room. She looked to her left to find a window, revealing an early sunset on the horizon.

_I thought it was nighttime… _

"Miss?" She felt her arm being shaken and she looked back over to the woman.

"Miss? Do you remember your name?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Ah..," Gemma began, feeling a wave of pain flood her temples again as she squinted her eyes. "Gemma," she said once the pain had subsided. She had a feeling this woman could be trusted, so she didn't mind giving her real name.

"My name is Lauren and I'm sorry about the pain. We did the best we could after you were in that accident…" the presumably doctor said, motioning with her hands Gemma's bandage on her head.

Suddenly Gemma sat up, remembering what had happened to her.

"Whoa, take it easy. You don't want to undo your stitches," Lauren calmly warned.

"Where's my group? Where did you take them?"

Lauren sat on the edge of the bed lightly, not wanting to make Gemma uncomfortable.

"They're all safe, just as you. But, I need to tell you what happened so you can understand the situation better."

Gemma reluctantly nodded, curious to what she had to say.

"My group, we live in a little community inside of a small township hospital. Where we're at right now," Lauren began, looking around the room a bit before making eye contact with Gemma again. "While a few of the members were out on a recruiting run, they saw the car you were in spin out of control and crash into a tree after trying to avoid a walker. They quickly rushed you guys out of the vehicle. And you, because you were wearing your seatbelt…," the woman hesitated, wiping her bangs with her hand just for them to fall again. "You were in almost the best condition."

Gemma's eyes widened as she replayed what she remembered of the crash over in her mind. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit.

Lauren's eyes went to Gemma's stomach and she thought it was best to give the good news before the bad news. "Your baby is perfectly fine and you should heal in a few weeks. The woman in your group, however… She went through the front window when the car hit the tree. She's in the worst condition of the other three, and has yet to have woken up."

Gemma's eyes flooded with tears before she could process what Lauren had told her. "But… no, she can't be… she's my sister. She's all the family I have left," Gemma began rambling as she looked to her feet.

"I'm sorry," Lauren said quietly, placing her hand on top of Gemma's.

"Where's Nick?" she asked, her eyes glossy with tears as she looked at Lauren again.

"The dark haired young man?"

Gemma nodded.

"He's in the next room recovering himself. His heartbeat is stable now and he's on strong pain relievers for his injuries. He talks an awful lot about you," she added with a faint smile, trying to lighten the situation the best she could.

"Can I see him?"

Lauren sighed as she thought. "Yes, but you're reunion is going to be bittersweet since you will only be able to talk. He has to stay in bed and rest while his damages heal. He cracked two ribs, which should heal soon enough, but that's only if he gets the sufficient rest he needs. Your friend Luke spends his time in there when he's not visiting your other group member… Ada…"

"Adelaide."

"Yes, Adelaide."

"How is he?" Gemma asked, fearing the worst after hearing what happened to Nick and Adelaide.

"He's fine. The air bag protected him from any major injuries; he left with barely a scratch."

Lauren stood up and helped Gemma off the hospital bed and helped her walk as her leg muscles were shaky from not moving for such a long period of time. As they made their way out of the room and through the hallway, Gemma noticed a few looks from people she didn't know. She ignored them as her heart raced to see Nick and Luke again.

"Gemma!" Luke exclaimed as he stood up from the chair next to Nick's bed after the door opened. He quickly walked over and embraced the tired girl after Lauren had stepped aside. He wrapped his arms around and pulled her into his chest.

"Ow," the blond-haired girl complained quietly when he touched her head.

"Oh, shit, sorry," he said, backing off again as Gemma winced in pain from a reoccurring throbbing in her head. She playfully punched him as her eyes filled with tears again, so happy to be back with someone familiar.

Luke helped her over to the chair next to the bed Nick was sleeping in and gently woke him up. Once he opened his eyes and found Gemma sitting there, he grinned his big goofy grin that she fell in love with. "You're awake!" he croaked sleepily.

She could see the exhaustion in his blue eyes. She held his hand, still silent as a tear rolled down her face.

Nick placed his other hand on top of hers to comfort her the best he could, wincing in pain a bit. "I was so worried," he spoke quietly, almost in a whispered.

Gemma couldn't help but break down seeing the condition he was in and placed her face on his hands as she cried.

Nick had to look away, not wanting to see her in pain and able to do nothing to comfort her.

Luke kneeled down beside her and rubbed her back comfortingly. He couldn't help but feel guilty; he was the one who had been driving recklessly. He had put all of their lives at risk and wasn't even sure if the love of his life would ever wake up.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

**A/N: **

Hey guys sorry this was a short one but the next one will be around 2,000 words like some of the past ones have been, I promise. Please leave a review and let me know how you feel about the story so far, since it's no longer following the game! Thanks!

~WalkingDeadCrazy


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